Leland College

Leland College
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	Off Groom Road, about 0.83 miles (1.34 km) west of Baker, U.S.
Nearest city	Baker, Louisiana, U.S.
Coordinates	30°35′34″N91°10′53″W / 30.59269°N 91.18136°W / 30.59269; -91.18136
Area	20.9 acres (8.5 ha)
Built	1923
NRHP reference No.	82000433 [1]
Added to NRHP	November 10, 1982

Leland College was founded in 1870 as a private college for blacks in New Orleans, Louisiana, but was open to all races. ^[2] It was formerly known as Leland University.

History

Leland University was founded in 1870. Holbrook Chamberlain, a philanthropist from Brooklyn, established the school. He bought the original campus’ land on St. Charles Avenue and built its buildings including University Hall. John Elijah Ford served as the school’s president. ^[3]

In 1873, the institution was relocated from temporary quarters to a new campus with buildings, which included the monumental Second Empire “University Hall” facing St. Charles Avenue. This campus was located across from Audubon Park and within block, of where Loyola University and Tulane University would build new campuses in the subsequent 25 years.

View of the original campus from St. Charles Avenue (University Hall is in the foreground)

After University Hall was heavily damaged in the Hurricane of 1915, Leland University decided not to repair the campus. Instead, the board sold the now valuable realestate and relocated to land purchased near Baker, Louisiana, where Leland College reopened in 1923.

Leland University was founded with the purpose of promoting Christian education in Louisiana and adjacent states. Never accredited, the school closed in 1960 because of financial difficulties. ^[4]

The 20.9 acres (8.5 ha) area of the Baker campus, comprising four contributing properties and one non-contributing building, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1982. ^{[1] [5] [6]}

The college facilities had become derelict by the time of listing. In the early 21st century, only the ruins of the two dormitories can be seen faintly through trees. The frame classroom, the president's house, and the concrete classroom all disappeared at some time.

Notable alumni

• Abraham Lincoln Davis (class of 1949) minister and civil rights activist ^[7]
• William Hicks (pastor) (class of 1893, BA, BD) Baptist pastor, academic administrator, writer ^{[8] [9]}
• John W. Joseph, first black mayor of Opelousas, Louisiana ^[10]
• Eddie Robinson, class of 1941, former Grambling State University head football coach
• Christina Jenkins, cosmetologist and creator of the hair weave

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. Leland College Archived 2009-03-14 at the Wayback Machine
3. Richardson, Clement (1919). The National Cyclopedia of the Colored Race – via Google Books.
4. "Baker's long-gone Leland College was Uptown New Orleans' first university". December 4, 2020.
5. "Leland College" (PDF). State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation. Retrieved May 9, 2018. with three photos and two maps
6. National Register Staff (October 1981). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form: Leland College". National Park Service . Retrieved May 9, 2018. With nine photos from 1981.
7. "Four-Way Split: Too Many Factions Negate Louisiana Race Vote Power". The Pittsburgh Courier. February 7, 1959. Retrieved September 6, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
8. Tripp, Jaclyn; Joiner, Gary (November 26, 2024). "Shreveport man born in 1869 established schools, led churches, worked with Booker T Washington". KTAL-TV . Archived from the original on December 12, 2024.
9. ... Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Leland University. Leland College. 1898. p. 62.
10. "John W. Joseph, Opelousas' first black mayor, to be laid to rest tomorrow". KLFY. November 10, 2017.